A man on Friday approached a consumer court for seeking action against a shop owner who allegedly sold his wife a pair of poor quality shoes.
As per reports, the claimant stated that his wife bought a pair of shoes from a shop at Tariq Road worth Rs1,600. One piece of the pair broke into two pieces in a few days. The man also added that the shoes were his wife’s favourite ones.
He said he contacted the shop owner to tell him about the broken show but he didn’t listen. He requested the court to take action against him. He further demanded that the court charge the shop owner with a heavy fine for selling low-quality shoes.
After initial arguments, the court admitted his application for hearing and called in witnesses to record their testimonies.
Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan has said that the government cannot hold the Senate election via ‘show of hands’ as it is not possible to conduct the polls through such an exercise.
The top lawyer said that the government does want to abolish the secret ballot system, but it will bring in an ‘open ballot’ system for free and fair elections instead of opting for the ‘show of hands’ method being reported by the media.
The comments from AG Khan came amid reports that the government has decided to approach the Supreme Court for advice on the issue. It was being reported that the government would seek the top court’s help and introduce the ‘show of hand’ system in the elections.
On Tuesday, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said that the government was striving to make the Senate elections “free and fair”.
“Controversies have always surrounded the Senate elections. It is such an old practice that it is assumed that in the elections, [horse trading] will surely take place,” he had said.
He said the government has decided to move the apex court regarding the reforms in Senate elections. “The government seeks an election that is conducted through a “show of hands”, Faraz had said, adding that the government expects to get guidance from the SC long before the elections.
“This is in favour of all parties,” he had said.
The opposition, however, opposes the idea. It claims that the government’s decision to hold the Senate polls a month early reeks of a “conspiracy”.
Maryam Nawaz, the PML-N vice president, has said that the party didn’t oppose the open ballot system, but it would resist the change of the elections’ date.
Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi wrote a letter to former premier Nawaz Sharif to offer his condolences after the death of the latter’s mother Begum Shamim Akhtar, it has emerged.
Begum Shamim passed away last month.
The letter, dated November 27, was delivered to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad last week. Charge d’ Affairs of Indian High Commission Gaurav Ahluwalia asked her to convey the letter to her father Nawaz.
In the letter itself, Modi shared a personal memory of meeting Sharif’s late mother during his visit to Jati Umra residence back in 2015.
“I am deeply saddened to learn about the demise of your mother Begum Shamim Akhtar on November 22 in London. My heartfelt condolences are with you in this hour of intense grief,” wrote the Indian premier.
“I recall my interaction with her during my brief visit to Lahore in 2015. Her simplicity and warmth was indeed very touching,” Modi wrote, expressing his personal bond with the Sharif family.
“In this moment of profound grief, I pray to the Almighty to bestow strength upon you and your family to bear this irreparable loss. May the departed soul rest in peace,” Modi added.
It may be noted that it was Nawaz who started developing a personal relationship with Modi soon after he was elected PM in 2014 by personally making a visit to his oath-taking. Nawaz also sent a white sari for Modi’s mother, who had gifted a shawl to Nawaz’s mother when he had visited India.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz has defended father Nawaz Sharif after his picture eating pizza went viral on social media, inviting criticism from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and others.
Addressing a press conference in Lahore, the PML-N vice president said that the former prime minister eats pizza once in a while. She made these remarks in response to a question wherein the reporter asked her to comment on the criticism that the photo of the former premier invited for eating pizza despite being a heart patient.
She asked whether any doctor had forbidden a heart or platelets patient from eating pizza. She further said that she did not know Nawaz Sharif to have any particular fondness for pizza.
Maryam also talked about the Senate election. She termed the government’s decision to hold early Senate polls a ‘controversy’. According to Maryam, she was not opposed to the amendment pertaining to the secret ballot, but she would oppose the early polls.
The PML-N leader also warned Prime Minister Imran Khan against pressurising the state institution, saying the PM will have to be answerable to the people of Pakistan for his acts.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Maryam Nawaz was trolled by social media users after the PML-N vice president shared a supposedly edited picture of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) rally held in Lahore last Sunday.
The PDM held a gathering in Lahore on Dec 13. The government had played down the number of people who attended the gathering, saying only 10,000 people attended the rally. The opposition, on the other hand, put the number above 100,000.
Decisive moment in PDM; after #LahorePDMJalsa turnout, PDM has resorted to utilize its trump card; Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop. https://t.co/q7c1vFCTFR
However, the picture of the rally shared by Maryam added to the controversy and also attracted flak for being “fake”. PTI wrote: “Decisive moment in PDM; after #LahorePDMJalsa turnout, PDM has resorted to utilizing its trump card; Clone Stamp Tool in Photoshop.”
Prime Minister’s aide Shahbaz Gill tweeted that Maryam has “such a bad luck that she always gets caught”.
اس خاتون کی قسمت میں ہر چوری پر پکڑے جانا۔ بھلے کیلبری فونٹ ہو۔ جعلی ٹرسٹ ڈیڈ ہو۔ دادی کی موت کی اطلاع ہو۔ بھلے لندن تو کیا پاکستان میں پراپرٹی ہو۔ 22 cuts کے ساتھ وڈیو ریکارڈ ہو یا یہ فوٹو شاپڈ تصویر ہو۔ pic.twitter.com/yGG7sn1brk
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has taken a dig at the ministers of Prime Minister Imran Khan, comparing them to the pet dogs of Imran Khan.
On Sunday, when the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was busy holding a massive gathering in Lahore, the PM chose to his spend his day with his dogs. The photos of PM and his two dogs also went viral on social media and made it to the press.
These photos were considered by many an attempt to give the impression that the PM was not intimidated by the PDM power show.
A reporter asked Bilawal to comment on the PM spending Sunday with his dogs on the day of the PDM’s much-hyped jalsa. The PPP chairperson responded that the reporter shouldn’t “use such words [dog] about the PM’s ministers”.
On Sunday, the PDM held a massive rally at Minar-e-Pakistan, Lahore. According to the opposition, hundreds of thousands of people attended the gathering, whereas the government’s estimates put the number at 15,000 max.
This was a decisive rally of the first phase of the anti-government agitation, now the opposition has plans to march on Islamabad if Imran Khan fails to resign by Jan 31.
Islamabad Zoo’s last remaining animals Bubloo and Suzie are all set to leave for Jordan on December 17. The two Himalayan bears were initially scheduled to leave Pakistan on December 10, but the government had barred the animals from leaving at the last moment despite court orders.
There, Suzie and Bubloo will find a species-appropriate home and the proper care they urgently need. Thanks again to the Pakistani authorities and community for their ongoing support in providing a better future for wildlife. : Hristo Vladev | FOUR PAWS
In a written order, the court said: “The natural habitat of Suzie and Bubloo was the high altitude plateau of Deosai National Park in the Himalayas. It was indeed inhumane to have deprived them of living in their natural habitat merely for the entertainment of the human species.”
“They have remained caged in the Marghazar Zoo for more than a decade. A zoo, no matter how well equipped, is no less than a concentration camp for living beings. They were born free and taking them out of their natural habitat and caging them was in violation of the natural rights bestowed upon them by the Creator.”
“They have suffered enough and they lack the ability to let the human species know what they must have gone through. Their abnormal behaviour while imprisoned was sufficient to speak volumes for the unimaginable pain and suffering.”
“The relocation of Kaavan the elephant, and the two Himalayan brown bears, Suzie and Bubloo, to appropriate sanctuaries has set a precedent for others to follow. They will always represent the people of Pakistan and their resolve to treat living species with respect and dignity,” it added.
The transfer of the former dancing bears to Jordan was first announced in early October, with the Jordanian government saying it would facilitate the relocation. Back then Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) Chairman Dr Anisur Rehman had said that the two bears, including their import and export permits, are ready. He had said that he is confident that the bears will receive better psychological and physical treatment in the sanctuary abroad.
“The bear sanctuary is looked after by the (Jordanian) king’s aunt, Princess Alia, and she has given us an import permit within a day,” Dr Rehman had shared.
It was earlier reported that the bears are not being moved to Jordan permanently. They will reportedly be flown back to Islamabad once they have fully recovered and their enclosures at Islamabad Zoo are ready. Animals at the Islamabad Zoo are being relocated after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) ruled that the zoo is not fit enough for them and lacks the necessary facilities.
Both the Himalayan brown bears suffer from psychological problems due to living in a substandard enclosure, with the female Suzie undergoing major surgery in the summer after a tumour was removed from her chest. Local vets were unable to stitch up seven inches open cut in the centre of her chest and she developed an infection. Four Paws vets, who arrived in August, operated on Suzie again and cleaned the infected wound. This was also the reason why sanctuaries within Pakistan refused to take them in.
“She is now recovering and healthy. Both bears are doing well physically now that we have put them on a better nutritional diet of fruits and vegetables. Suzie had diarrhea all the time because she was mostly fed milk,” a spokesperson for Four Paws, Marion Lombard, told local media outlets.
Friends of Islamabad Zoo (FIZ), who have been campaigning for the animals, in a note posted to social media, also addressed those who said that the bears should have been moved to a local sanctuary instead of an international one.
“Both the bears have no teeth and have been dependent on humans since birth,” wrote the animal rights body. “They will not be able to survive wild in the Deosai Plains and will need constant care.”
“Other than that from what we were told, Deosai now has 76 bears and adding two bears with no experience of living with other bears won’t be able to survive and will need to be kept confined.”
FIZ said that Al Ma’wa for Nature and Wildlife is the ideal place for the two bears because it is located 3500 feet above sea level, double the height of Islamabad and is climatically suited to Himalayan brown bears. They added that their facilities are top-class and the bears will be well taken care of there.
Meanwhile, speaking to a local media publication, veterinarian Dr Amir Khalil, who is overlooking the bears move to Jordan, expressed his relief over the decision and said that Suzie and Bubloo would find a species-appropriate home and proper care in Jordan. Dr Khalil also oversaw the relocation of Kaavan to Cambodia.
“As a vet, I am delighted that in the end, humanity and the bears are the winners,” Khalil said.
Pakistan has maintained a strong momentum in workers’ remittance for the sixth consecutive month in November with over $2 billion, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has reported.
Workers’ remittance increased 28.4% year-on-year in November 2020, pushing the cumulative flows to $11.8 billion during the July-November FY21 with a rise of 26.9% compared to same period last year.
“This significant growth reflects continued government and SBP efforts to formalise remittances under Pakistan Remittances Initiative (PRI), growing use of digital channels amid limited international travel, orderly exchange market conditions and improved global economic activity,” said the central bank.
The top four countries that contributed to the highest inflows are Saudi Arabia ($3.3 billion), United Arab Emirates ($2.4 billion), United Kingdom ($1.6 billion) and the United States ($1 billion).
City managers have decided to restore a historic mosque near Lotus Lake in Shakarparian.
According to details, the mosque is believed to be over 100 years old. It was a worship place for villagers of Pairan, who migrated from the area in the 1960s during Islamabad’s development.
Like Pairan, many villagers from Islamabad moved to Rawalpindi and other parts of the capital after getting compensation from Capital Development Authority (CDA) for their homes and land.
“During construction of Lotus Lake, when we carried out cleanliness operation and removed bushes etc., we found an abandoned mosque,” said Environment Director Irfan Niazi, adding construction material of the mosque suggested that it was built over 100 years ago. The banyan tree located in the mosque’s courtyard is believed to be 500 years old.
CDA Chairman Amer Ali Ahmed said that the authority will restore this historical mosque. “I have already directed my team to take steps for restoration of this mosque, which is also our heritage,” he said.
He further said that the construction of the lake is in its last stage and will soon be a new facility for tourists.
There was a natural lotus lake in the area which diminished during the construction of a cultural complex between 2004-5. CDA is now constructing the lake at a new place near the Natural History Museum. The new Lotus Lake is 100ft long and 68ft wide.
Lahore police have arrested a teenager for vandalising a statue of Maharaja Ranjeet Singh, who ruled Punjab in the 19th century, installed in front of the Haveli of Rani Jindan at Lahore Fort.
Police said that the boy Zaheer — a resident of Harbanspura — was inspired by the speeches of late firebrand cleric Khadim Rizvi. As per the teenager, Ranjeet Singh killed Muslims and converted Badshahi Mosque into a stable, adding that these reasons compelled him to destroy the statue of the Sikh ruler.
It was learned that Zaheer broke the arm in an attempt to damage the statue. He was caught by the security guards on the spot, who stopped him from further damaging the statue.
A Walled City of Lahore Authority (WCLA) spokesperson said that a case has been lodged against the suspect at the Tibbi City police station. Strict action will be taken against the accused, it said, adding that the statue would be repaired by the WCLA at earliest.
The nine-foot-tall statue of Ranjeet Singh, who died in 1839, was unveiled in June 2019 on his 180th death anniversary. The statue, made of cold bronze, depicts the emperor sitting on a horse with a sword in his hand. Popularly known as Sher-e-Punjab, Maharaja Ranjit Singh ruled over the Sikh empire in the Punjab region in the early half of the 19th century.
After almost decade-long infightings, his empire came to an end in 1848 with the colonisation of Punjab by the East Indian Company.
